Exploration of the Moon

An artist’s impression of Lunar Flashlight scanning a permanently shadowed region on the Moon. Illustration: NASA/JPL-CaltechNASA’s Lunar Flashlight is on a mission to hunt for water ice on the Moon’s surface, but the mission appears to…

The TitanAir concept for exploring Saturn’s moon Titan. Illustration: Quinn MorleyThe future of space exploration requires big ideas, and NASA has no objection to considering some of the biggest ideas out there. The space agency’s…

An illustration of the lunar gateway in orbit around the Moon.Illustration: NASAArchitects designing the living space for the upcoming lunar Gateway did their bestto make it comfortable for astronauts, but technical constraints forced…

Artist’s conception of China’s Chang’e 5 mission, which concluded in 2020.Illustration: CNSATwo years ago, China’s Chang’e 5 mission made history by returning lunar samples to Earth for the first time in more than 40 years. The mission’s…

Ridges, craters and boulders that mark the lunar surface will help astronauts navigate on the Moon.Illustration: NASA/MoonTrek/Alvin YewFinding our way around the Moon is likely to be a tricky proposition. Unlike Earth, there are no…

After a four month journey through space, the Korean Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO) has finally reached lunar orbit. The probe will spend the next year scanning the surface from above in search of water ice and suitable landing spots…

NASA’s Orion spacecraft reached its maximum distance from Earth on November 28.Image: NASAAfter traveling more than 1.4 million miles (2.2 million kilometers) on anhistoric journey to the Moon and back, NASA’s Orion capsule splashed…

The Orion capsule was uncrewed, but filled with several mementos. Image: NASAFollowing its trip to the Moon and back, NASA’s Orion spacecraft splashed down into the Pacific Ocean on Sunday. The inaugural flight for the Artemis program…

Artist’s depiction of Orion during reentry.Image: NASAThe Artemis 1 mission is coming to an end, but that doesn’t mean the hard part is over. The uncrewed Orion spacecraft, currently on its way home from the Moon,must still survive a…

An engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory observes the COLDArm being tested in a bed of simulated lunar soil.Image: NASA/JPL-CaltechIt can get cold on the Moon—so cold in fact that these temperatures are likely to impede the…